[dikapmn]

the structure of activated carbon is:


and the structure of metanil yellow is:


how is the possible reaction of activated carbon adsorption on metanil yellow?
i search about it, but i didn't find any clues about the reaction. anyone can help me?

[Borek]

You are looking at the problem from a wrong angle.

There is no chemical reaction* taking place here. The only thing that matters are intermolecular forces between the activated carbon surface (which is mostly just a naked, raw carbon lattice layer, like the one present in graphite) and the dye.

What you got as a structure of the activated carbon is just an example of what can go on on the border, where the lattice ends. It doesn't play any role in the absorption process.

*A lot depends on how you define the chemical reaction, as there is no strict border between what we simplistically classify as chemical and physical processes, instead there is a continuum of processes. Nature doesn't care about our classification attempts.

[dikapmn]

Thank you for your explanation. In the first time I think there are 2 possibilities of this problem. Cause my supervisor asked me to search the reaction of activated carbon, it makes me confuse, so I think that there's a reaction of chemical group between the activated carbon and metanil yellow. And now from your explanation i know that it is affected by intermolecular force.